Eldridge continues to make the leap in Giants' system
Maria Guardado
@mi_guardadoThis story was excerpted from Maria Guardado¡¯s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants¡¯ No. 1 prospect is now one step closer to the big leagues.
Bryce Eldridge the club¡¯s 2023 first-round Draft pick, earned a promotion to Double-A Richmond on Tuesday, capping a hugely successful season for the 19-year-old first baseman.
Eldridge (MLB Pipeline's No. 52 overall prospect) opened the year at Single-A San Jose before being moved up to High-A Eugene in late June. He didn¡¯t stop raking once he joined the Emeralds, batting .335 with a 1.060 OPS and 12 home runs over 48 games.
¡°I think I¡¯ve just kind of solidified my approach,¡± Eldridge said during an MLB Network appearance on Wednesday. ¡°I think I¡¯ve gotten better throughout the year as I¡¯ve gone up levels. The better competition I¡¯ve played, the better I¡¯ve gotten. Just being able to stick to my approach, not get out of my zone and try to hit pitches that I can crush has been really working out for me.¡±
According to Baseball America, Eldridge posted the third-highest wRC+ (185) among 19-year-olds with a minimum of 150 plate appearances at High-A since 2006, trailing only Rays infielder Junior Caminero -- MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 1 overall prospect -- and former Yankees and Mariners catcher Jesus Montero. Eldridge crushed five homers over his final six games at Eugene, earning Northwest League Player of the Week honors for Aug. 26-Sept. 1.
The bigger reward for Eldridge will be having a chance to close out his first full professional season at Richmond, which is only a two-hour drive away from his hometown of Vienna, Va. Eldridge went 0-for-3 in his Double-A debut on Tuesday night, but he became the second-youngest player in Flying Squirrels history.
Richmond has only 11 games left to play this month, but Eldridge¡¯s late promotion will likely set him up to return to Double-A for the start of the 2025 campaign. Given his current trajectory, it¡¯s not hard to envision the 6-foot-7 slugger potentially breaking into the big leagues as soon as next season, giving the Giants the type of impact bat they¡¯ve long struggled to develop.
Eldridge already has a fan in Giants legend and current special assistant to the front office Will Clark, who got a chance to spend time with the promising teen while visiting the Giants¡¯ affiliates in San Jose and Eugene earlier this year.
¡°I think it¡¯s incredible,¡± Clark said of Eldridge¡¯s quick rise. ¡°He¡¯s 19. First full year in pro ball, first full year of playing every day. That in itself is kind of tough, because in high school you don¡¯t play every day, so there¡¯s a lot of firsts for him this year. To have the success that he had and to move up the levels that he¡¯s moved up, I¡¯m really proud of him.¡±